BloombergPresident Barack Obama is asking the private sector to tighten building standards to reduce losses from natural disasters after studies linked an increase in extreme weather to climate change.
The administration will announce the start of work by the organizations that
set standards for residential and commercial buildings in an effort to improve safety during and after events such as fires, floods and earthquakes.READ MORE

Business.comYou're not the only one who worked hard to submit your tax return on time. IRS scammers are busy this time of year, too.
Between 2011 and 2014, the IRS paid out more than $5.8 billion in fraudulent refunds as a result of identity theft.
According to CNBC, the IRS expects tax refund fraud to hit an eye-popping $21 billion in 2016.
If an IRS scammers gets your personal or business tax information, you could see significant delays in getting your refund, or end up kissing it goodbye.READ MORE

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The Wall Street JournalThe average cost for homebuilders to comply with regulations for new home construction has increased by nearly 30 percent over the last five years, according to new research from the National Association of Home Builders.
Regulatory costs such as local impact fees, storm-water discharge permits and new construction codes, which have risen at roughly the same rate as the average price for new homes, make it increasingly difficult for builders to pursue affordable single-family construction projects, the group argues.READ MORE

Daily CommercialOne of the most used and noticed parts of any home are doors. From the front door to pantry doors, the days of plain Jane smooth or six-panel doors are just about over because of new technology and manufacturing equipment such as computerized routers. Doors that were once handcrafted are now mass produced and the price for style and elegance is much lower than a decade ago.
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The JobsiteDespite encouraging statistics, hiring talented people remains a big challenge for plenty of companies. December 2014 was the third highest month of unfilled construction jobs since the end of the recession, according to the National Association of Home Builders and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even more worrisome, the Associated Builders and Contractors estimates the construction industry will face a shortage of nearly two million skilled workers by 2019.
he troubling stats keep pouring in. Homebuilders have reported taking longer than usual to finish jobs because they are unable to staff their crews with skilled workers.
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By Emma Fitzpatrick When customers are frustrated, they often don't reach out to your customer service line anymore. For better or worse, they instead share their negative experience on social media. Negative comments, bad reviews and snarky tweets will always be there, and deleting them is certainly not the way to go. This is your chance to turn a customer you're about to lose for life into a brand advocate. Yes, it can be done, and it's much more doable than you would think.
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Construction TodayIn a world of constant expansion and development, it is more important than ever to fully understand the risks associated with a construction project. Construction is booming. Values recorded by the Census Bureau indicate cumulative U.S. construction project spends in 2015 reached $1 trillion, the highest recorded amount since 2008. But when considering a project, there are four particularly important risk areas to keep in mind as a construction owner that can help you manage upcoming projects and prevent overpaying.READ MORE

HRDiveThe details have been hammered out. The Office of Management and Budgeting has collected the feedback, reportedly among the most ever given. Now, the curtain is ready to rise.
Within a few days, so the rumors go, the Department of Labor will unveil a new rule (only the second in more than 40 years) that will raise the minimum salary an employer must provide to avoid having to pay overtime to executive, administrative and professional employees.
Many if not most U.S. employers will need to figure out exactly how they are going to handle the new overtime rules, which effectively will raise the exempt (overtime no) vs. non-exempt (overtime yes) threshold from the current $23,660 annually to somewhere between $45,000 and $50,400.READ MORE